The Group Known Chiefly Through the 1993 Siege at Waco

The Branch Davidians trace their origins to a 1930s schism within the Seventh-day Adventist tradition, from which a series of groups developed distinctive teachings about biblical prophecy and the imminent end of the age. The group is known to the wider public almost entirely through the events of 1993 at their settlement, Mount Carmel, near Waco, Texas, then led by David Koresh (born Vernon Howell), who taught a prophetic interpretation of the Book of Revelation centered on the opening of the seven seals.

In February 1993 a US federal agency (the ATF) attempted to execute search and arrest warrants relating to firearms; the raid ended in a gun battle that killed four agents and six group members, and began a 51-day siege by federal authorities. On 19 April 1993 a final assault using tear gas was followed by a fire that swept the buildings; some 76 people inside died, including Koresh and many children. The causes of the fire and the conduct of the operation were the subject of intense and lasting controversy and multiple official inquiries, and the events at Waco became a defining reference point in American debates over religious freedom, the treatment of unconventional groups, and government use of force. Small communities in the Davidian tradition continue.